When I lived in Ft. Lauderdale, in the late 70’s early 80’s, the family that moved into the apartment next door to me came from Allentown. I was good friends with their son and daughter, 17 and 20, at the time. They moved to Florida because there were no jobs and no prospect of any. The steel industry was shutting down and people were moving away. This was the same period that this song was written.
I later moved from there and one of the job interviews I went on was in Harrisburg, PA not far from there. I interviewed at Three Mile Island nuclear plant...................
The times, they are a-changing. I know an old-time steel guru. I guess the steel industry never recovered. Wall Street's largely converted to condos now. Even the AIG building, which is a landmark. Oy. Just read that JP Morgan's original building, located across the street from the NYSE, now owned by some Chinese company, has filed for a permit to become a bowling alley.
But how can I complain? It's not Detroit.